9 Best Rice Cookers For One Person Of 2024
Looking for a rice cooker that doesn’t break the bank and is specifically tailored for just one person?
Rice cookers come in many different types and sizes. Some are smart while others are purely simple and mechanical. If you are after the perfect rice cooker for your every day (or occasional) needs then you are at the right place!
What are the best rice cookers for one person? Small rice cookers can have a capacity of around 2-3 cups of uncooked rice or more. These portable rice cookers are highly convenient and are geared toward preparing a perfect bowl of rice for just one person!
Read below to learn more about rice cookers and to go through our buyer’s guide and recommendations list for the best rice cookers made just for you!
Why Using Rice Cookers Is Better
Rice cookers have been around since the late 1950s and are considered to be a relatively recent invention, especially if you compare them to mechanical refrigeration which has been around for around a century!
It is thought that one of the reasons for the invention of automated rice cookers was bought on by the increase in demand for the grain in countries where rice was not a staple.
For example, rice has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years so it’s safe to say that the good people of Asia are a fan of this grain and consider it an absolute staple.
Cooking rice is not easy. It requires a lot of practice and usually involves different ratios, temperature controls, and steam cooking.
While most Asian countries cook rice the good old-fashioned way, the increase in demand for rice motivated inventors to come up with ways to cook rice right—every time.
But this was no ordinary feat! We’ll discuss why in a bit. First, we need to talk about the variances in cooking rice.
Rice is perhaps the most difficult-to-cook and varied grain on earth. Of course, there is some hyperbole attached to this statement, but the truth is, cooking rice can be a nerve-racking task, even for people who eat this grain as a staple.
Rice requires the right timing, temperature, and water level to properly cook. Too much can cause the rice to become overly tender or too little of it may cause it to remain firm and hard to digest.
So, how do rice cookers cook rice perfectly?
Well, they use sensors and clever mechanisms to determine the different stages of rice as it cooks.
These machines are better than manually cooking rice because they take out the human error from the equation and cook rice using predetermined presets.
This means that even a novice who only knows how to “cook” boiling water can easily prepare perfectly cooked rice.
Trust us, this information is important because it will help you separate simple, and budget-friendly rice cookers from gimmicky and expensive rice cookers.
Cooking Rice The Right Way
The best way to cook rice is to follow what we shall term the “golden ratio.”
The golden ratio is set at 1:2 and is the ratio for how much liquid you will typically need for a cup of rice. In this case, for every 1 cup of rice, you will need 2 cups of water.
Also, since rice can soak up water and the individual grains can expand considerably, 1 cup of uncooked rice will typically produce around 3 cups of cooked rice!
This ratio can be tweaked to make different rice products and recipes. For example, a 1:1 ½ will produce chewier rice while increasing the quantity of water will overcook the rice and will help make rice pudding.
So how does all of this factor into rice cookers?
Rice cookers cook rice using heat but they always require manual input, i.e., adding the correct grain to water ratio.
No matter how good a rice cooker you buy; if you mess up the ratio, you will almost certainly ruin your batch of cooked rice.
As mentioned, rice cookers employ the use of special sensors to determine when the rice has been cooked.
For instance, when the rice is added to hot water it starts to hydrate and render. The outer layer of the rice becomes soft while the grain soaks up the water and enlarges.
Once the water has evaporated, the rice cooker automatically shuts down the power via the sensors.
These sensors work by exploiting a very cool law of physics called the “latent heat of vaporization” that states that water at sea level can never exceed 212°F (boiling point) under normal circumstances.
So, when you evaporate water and leave just the rice behind, this law becomes invalid since the water is out of the equation.
The rice, thus, exceeds the boiling point of water and the sensor picks up this additional heat which is how the rice cooker knows that the rice has been fully cooked.
Sure, other rice cookers can use fuzzy logic and other parameters to detect changes in the cooking stages, but for most affordable one-person rice cookers, always stick with ‘simple’ unless it serves multiple purposes for you.
Buyer’s Guide
To make this guide easier to digest, we have divided it into different sections, each part will discuss an important feature that your rice cooker must have to be deemed worthy for your home use.
Here is what to look out for:
Size And Capacity
The size and capacity of the rice cooker should be your priority!
Most single-person rice cookers are designed to hold a capacity of either 2-4 cups.
While you can even go for up to a 6-cup rice cooker, we recommend that you keep the rice capacity at a minimum to get the most benefit from its size and price.
At minimum half, a cup of cooked rice is usually enough for just one person and some people can get by with even less.
Remember, 1 cup of uncooked rice will produce around 3 cups of cooked rice. So, you can do the math and figure out the right quantity and size for you.
Generally speaking, 1 cup of cooked rice should be enough for the average person but you will seldom find just a 1 cup capacity or less rice cooker.
Keep in mind that rice cookers are designed by the capacity for either cooked or uncooked rice.
If you want to future-proof yourself or if you think that you would occasionally need more rice for one-off events or when your family comes over then you can even go for a 6-cup or bigger rice cooker.
Design And Features
When it comes to rice cookers, you can opt for either a simple mechanical rice cooker or a digital rice cooker with a bit more control.
To choose between a digital or a simple rice cooker, please first assess your needs.
If you only need a plain and simple rice cooker that does the job without breaking down or without suffering from electronic failure then invest in a simple rice cooker.
But if you are looking for more control and if you want to use your rice cooker to steam vegetables, then you can go for a multipurpose digital rice cooker that comes equipped with smart features.
Please keep in mind that the more feature-laden the rice cooker is, the more likely it is to be expensive!
Portability
Portability and storage go hand in hand.
People who want a simple and non-space consuming rice cooker should opt for a smaller (mini) or more personal rice cooker rather than investing in a bigger appliance that is harder to clean and a nightmare to store away.
Luckily, you can easily find several rice cookers with a small footprint and an adequate cooking capacity!
The 9 Best Rice Cookers for One Person
Now that you know what type of rice cooker you should buy, here are a few recommendations to help you choose the best one for your needs!
| Rank | Product | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dash Mini Rice Cooker Steamer | 2-cup capacity, simple design, great for multiple uses. |
| 2. | Aroma Housewares Digital Rice Cooker | 8-cup cooked rice capacity, tactile buttons, and great overall design. |
| 3. | JINGTIEDA Small Rice Cooker | 3-cup uncooked rice capacity, excellent form factor, small and portable rice cooker. |
| 4. | Toshiba Digital Programmable Rice Cooker | Automated rice cooker with 3-cup capacity. Great for programming user presets and cooking rice! |
| 5. | Tayama 1.5 Cup Portable Mini Rice Cooker | Personal, portable, and super useful. A great rice cooker for single-person use. |
| 6. | Aroma Housewares Mi 3-Cup | Simple, elegant, and convenient. A 1.5-cup rice cooker that is designed to perfectly cook a serving of rice. |
| 7. | GreenLife Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 4-Cup Rice Cooker | Eye-catching and beautifully designed. Moderate capacity and super-efficient rice cooker! |
| 8. | Hamilton Beach Digital Programmable Rice Cooker | Capable of cooking up to 8-cups of cooked rice in one go. Digital controls, sturdy design – great for single and large servings. |
| 9. | Aroma Housewares 4-Cups Cooked Rice Cooker | Classic, reliable, and capable of cooking rice to perfection without requiring much input. |
1. Dash Mini Rice Cooker Steamer
The Dash Mini Rice Cooker is designed for single serving sizes and is perhaps the most simple and personalized multipurpose rice cooker out there.
Available in a deep black color, this rice cooker is excellent for making different types of rice and also for soups, stews, and even oatmeal.
Just fill up the inner chamber with the recommended quantity of water (as per the manufacturer’s guide) and cook away!
2. Aroma Housewares Digital Rice Cooker
If you are looking for a smart rice cooker that can keep up with your demands then you should look into this product.
Designed to be cool to the touch and equipped with tactile buttons on the front, this rice cooker is an excellent balance between smart and manual.
You can cook rice and other types of liquid-based foods within minutes and with just a press of a button!
No more guesswork! Just follow the instructions mentioned with this product and you will have perfectly cooked rice every time.
3. JINGTIEDA Small Rice Cooker
This truly is a smart and personal rice cooker that is designed for just one person.
The Jingtieda rice cooker is portable yet powerful. It is capable of cooking 3 cups of uncooked rice within no time!
Designed with simplicity and portability in mind, this rice cooker has a small footprint and is lightweight too.
It is designed to cook mixed rice, porridge, soups, and more.
The top control panel is convenient and simple to use and with just 3 buttons you can cook different types of food and a perfect bowl of rice without a fuss!
4. Toshiba Digital Programmable Rice Cooker
Toshiba is the brand that started it all!
Credited for inventing the first rice cooker back in the day, Toshiba has been the pioneer in the automated rice cooking appliance sector and has delivered on its promise of quality for decades.
This rice cooker is no less than its predecessors as it is simple to use and extremely convenient.
What’s special about this rice cooker is that it comes with programmable presets that allow you to cook rice and other types of food just the way you like them!
5. Tayama 1.5 Cup Portable Mini Rice Cooker
This is perhaps the best no-frill rice cooker that you will find in the market.
Its mini design is capable of cooking 1.5 cups of uncooked rice.
We think it will be a fantastic choice for people who are looking for a single-serving rice cooker that they can tag along with them everywhere.
6. Aroma Housewares Mi 3-Cup
Just like the other 1.5 cup rice cookers on our list, this one is elegantly designed and we love how this rice cooker is geared toward efficiency.
It dispels all the bloated features and offers a clean interface with just three buttons.
One button is for white rice, while the other two are for brown rice and power. Just add rice and water and let this rice cooker take care of the rest!
7. GreenLife Healthy Ceramic Nonstick 4-Cup Rice Cooker
The GreenLife Rice Cooker has digital controls on the top and is available in multiple beautiful colors.
This rice cooker is different from the others on our list because it is made from high-quality ceramic material and is free from any harmful substances.
It is built to endure everyday cooking and with its 4-cup capacity, this rice cooker is going to be an excellent purchase for people who are looking for a small and personal rice cooker.
8. Hamilton Beach Digital Programmable Rice Cooker
Hamilton Beach is a familiar name in the appliance world because it has consistently come up with high-quality appliances that are geared toward personal and family use.
This rice cooker has a 4-cup uncooked rice capacity which will yield around 8 cups of cooked rice!
This means that you can use this simple digital and programmable rice cooker for yourself and even prepare a large serving of rice when you have friends and family over!
9. Aroma Housewares 4-Cups Cooked Rice Cooker
If you are the type of person who doesn’t want to meddle with the rice cooker’s settings or deal with presets then this is the best rice cooker that we can recommend.
It is a classic and employs the use of simple machinery to accurately cook a bowl of rice without the use of complex microchips or fancy controls.
This is the best no-frill rice cooker that is targeted at the on-the-go and convenience-seeking individual who just wants to cook a bowl of rice with just one press of the button!
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